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Improving shift report focus and consistency with the situation, background, assessment, recommendation protocol
Paul Cornell1, Mary Townsend Gervis, Lauren Yates
1Practice Transformation, Dallas, Texas, USA. ptcornell@gmail.com
The Journal of Nursing Administration
|July 30, 2013
Summary
The Situation, Background, Assessment, Recommendation (SBAR) protocol enhanced patient-centric shift reports by increasing focused discussion. While not reducing report time, SBAR improved communication quality in medical-surgical units.
Area of Science:
- Nursing Practice
- Healthcare Communication
- Patient Safety
Background:
- Limited data exists on the efficacy of the Situation, Background, Assessment, Recommendation (SBAR) protocol for shift reports.
- The SBAR protocol is increasingly recommended for improving clinical communication.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the impact of the SBAR protocol on the quality and efficiency of shift reports.
- To assess changes in nurse communication patterns during shift handoffs.
Main Methods:
- Implementation of the SBAR protocol in four medical-surgical units.
- Observation audits to record nurse tasks, tools, and locations during shift reports.
- Analysis of communication dynamics (dialogue vs. writing) and time allocation.
Main Results:
- Shift report duration did not decrease with SBAR implementation.
- Nurses dedicated significantly more time to report-specific tasks.
- SBAR use resulted in increased dialogue and decreased writing during reports.
Conclusions:
- The SBAR protocol fosters more focused, patient-centric shift reports.
- SBAR provides a structured approach for concise and prioritized information exchange.
- Enhanced communication quality, with less transcription and more discussion, was observed.
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